


Helado de Frutilla

by PrincesaParkerina



Series: Cherry [2]
Category: Junior Express (TV)
Genre: Arnoldo is huge, M/M, Size Kink, Stuffing, enjoy yourselves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-09-18 18:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20317828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincesaParkerina/pseuds/PrincesaParkerina
Summary: Francis intends to fix the misunderstanding that led to his break up with Arnoldo,except....There are many obstacles on his way there.





	1. Let's Go Camping?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cherry ended with a huge cliffhanger, then Arnoldo and Francis were gone during El Rulo Más Valiente but we also knew there was plenty of ice cream to spare.  
So this is my take on what was going on with them during that time.

"Francis,are you okay?" queried Topa,adorning a concerned frown and thick eyebrows furrowed.

Something was off about the charming waiter this morning,he just.....didn't seem like himself.

"Y-yes,Capitán Topa....why do you ask?" Francis answered nervously,tugging at the hem of his vest,he felt like he was doing everything on autopilot ever since his 'conversation' with Arnoldo earlier today.

If the Grand Chef was the only one to speak the entire time,it's not really a conversation,now is it? 

"You're looking a little saaaad,is it because.... Rulos,did we apologize to him already???" Rulo Ricardo realized suddenly,gasping mid-bite in front of a rich sandwich a la Arnoldo.

"For what? Apa...." Carlos himself realized their mistake soon after,mouth agape and blue eyes wide.

Rulo Rolando put a hand over his own mouth and looked up at a still very dejected looking Francis,abandoning all his food as well.

Francis shouldn't be this sad still!!! It was just a harmless little prank like many others he and his brothers pulled over the years.

The aspiring magician should be used to it by now and even consider finally joining them once and for all.

If only a certain hot-tempered,large,stubborn Chef wasn't in the way... 

"Franciscocho,Franciscote!!! We're really sorry for yesterday!!! Tell you what,mis hermanitos and I are planning to go Camping today,once we finish Breakfast,we'll start packing andddddd guess what??" Rolando said excitedly,without missing a beat.

"You are invited." said Carlos flatly.

"Carleteeeeee,he was supposed to guess!!!!" whined a frustrated Rolando,rolling his eyes at his identical triplet with red hair.

The blue clad guitarist was excited about this,taking Francis camping with them it's the perfect opportunity to:

1) Help Francis have some actual fun for once;

2) Help Francis have some actual fun for once by spending some special alone time in the woods with a certain handsome guitarist-

"Rulos,it's okay,I-" said Francis quickly with a nervous smile plastered on his face that refused to leave and open palms in front of himself.

"Franciiiis,it's going to be a lot of fuuun!!!! It will turn that frown on your face upside doooooown,we will take Rulo Ricardiiiito,we will invite Harmony-" started rambling the orange clad bassist.

"NO!" Both Carlos and Rolando interrupted in unison.

"No girls allowed,they would ruin our fun." stated Carlos firmly in his monotone,he was,obviously,the only one who didn't stop eating.

Rolando couldn't agree with his brother more,he reached for Francis' hand,bringing it down to the table and squeezing it gently,flashing his best dazzling smile up to the skilled waiter whose aside from looking very anxious and uncomfortable. 

Is just very heartbroken right now.

"But you,Franciscocho,you are always invited and we do feel pretty bad for what we did,so what do you say?" questioned Rolando,wiggling his eyebrows and not letting go of the curly-haired teen's hand just yet.

Not feeling guilty in the slightest at the moment.

The charming musician was too busy already thinking about banging Francis against a tree,in the middle of the darkness,after everyone's asleep.

Vest still on because he looks hot as hell in it,pants off,gorgeous gelled curls in absolute disarray,the dimpled guitarist waited so long for this,he wonders which sounds the overworked waiter will make,which ones he will have to suppress so Ricardo and Carlos won't hear them.

Hopefully no one will look under the table to notice the blue clad rulo's prominent volume on his tight pants.

The 'pretty' rulo smirked and winked at the talented waiter whose finally managed to pull his hand out of Rolando's grip once the dimpled trillizo started to discreetly pull the raven-haired waiter's hand downwards.

Francis looked away,blushing bright pink,clearing his throat and pulling at his loyal towel.

At least Francis _did_ notice it,it's going to be a fun night,for sure.

"I.....don't know,Arnoldo-" Francis started to say reluctantly,just not wanting to be in this conversation anymore.

Or even wanting to be here at all anymore.

Camping with the Rulos didn't sound like _that_ bad of an idea,perhaps some other day,the timing is just the worst possible.

Francis can't run off with the Rulos when he's trying his hardest to convince Arnoldo otherwise.

Rulo Rolando trying his old,slimey tricks with him again is really not helping.

Long ago,those tricks used to flatter the aspiring magician greatly and make him feel wanted,now he knows better,knows he's just another one in Rolando's 'Bang List'.

It's not happening.

At least Arnoldo knows how to properly flirt like a gentleman,even during the days where Francis was much younger,the Grand Chef never tried anything he deemed the young apprentice couldn't handle.

Which......for a hormonal pre-teen,it was very frustrating.

Yet also very much worth the wait.

Francis can't let himself give up what he already built with Arnoldo all this time.

They built a life together. 

To Rulo Rolando? Francis knows he is just another item to check on the dimpled trillizo's gross list.

The fact deeply saddens the curly-haired waiter yet he feels powerless about the situation aside from saying No.

Which should already be enough.

"I'll convince him! He always falls for my charm-" Rolando started to stand up,patting the raven-haired waiter's thick shoulder in the process,making Francis flinch instinctively.

Thank you,Rulo Rolando,you only made Francis remember how much better Arnoldo is than you.

"No no,Rulo Rolando,I will talk to him and then talk to you guys later,okay?" Francis rushed out,putting the dimpled Rulo back in his seat rather forcefully,Rolando groaned.

"Okay,Francis,but don’t take too long,they're leaving around 1pm,it's the time Lila said we'll get to Camp." said Topa,also excited about the idea of Francis leaving the monorail for awhile to go out with the Rulos.

Hopefully,he will manage to convince Arnoldo.

It's not easy to get through to the stubborn Grand Chef,but if there's anyone who can always do it.

It's Francis.

Topa himself could never manage,the purple-clad Captain is convinced the handsome,talented teen waiter was sent from heaven.

The right person to rightfully belong to Arnoldo in a way Topa was never truly able to.

"You're not going,Capitán?" Francis asked,genuinely curious. 

Topa follows the Rulos everywhere they go and vice versa,Francis figured the man with short,curly hair would be ecstatic for this.

"Oh no no,Francis,I've got...Captain duties to attend to." Topa said somewhat awkwardly,clearing his throat,not planning on elaborating his statement further.

"_Claro_,now if none of you need anything else,I'll excuse myself." stated Francis politely,fixing his vest,clearly back to automated mode.

"Por supuesto! Bye Francis,see you lateeeer!" cheered Ricardo,back to munching on his food.

"We'll see you later for Camp!!!" exclaimed Rolando,waving to the responsible waiter,still intent on throwing his charm. 

Tonight,he won't escape.

Francis denied him for too long when anyone else would be throwing themselves at him.

Rolando has too much time to make up for.

"I said I still need to talk to Arnoldo about it,permiiiiiso." Francis insisted,already by the double doors.

The skilled waiter sat on the stool previously vacated by Arnoldo,fetching one half of an avocado with a fork and biting into it,involuntarily moaning at the taste,it was beyond delicious,admittedly far better than if the waiter himself had done it.

He was so hungry too,even Francis knows he needs some energy if he's going to confront his Boss.

No,not about if he can go Camping with the Rulos.

About fixing his and Arnoldo's _own_ seemingly broken relationship.

Going camping with the Triplets again (and without Arnoldo this time) was....not the worst thought in the world.

If Rulo Rolando behaves,which.... Francis really doubts he will.

Yet he still enjoys Carlos and Ricardo's company,besides,staying inside for too long may drive someone....a little crazy.

It's good to get some fresh air every once in a while.

But Arnoldo being there with him instead it's what's ideal right now.

* * *

"Do you think Arnoldo's gonna let him go?" questioned an intrigued Topa after finishing a cup of orange juice.

He had the large impression the Rulos' last prank got Francis far more upset than the other times.

Even the times where Arnoldo's food was involved which meant far more trouble for the aspiring magician than it was worth.

What Topa is thinking is that maybe.....Francis made up the excuse of asking Arnoldo since he didn't look like he really wants to be around the Triplets at the moment.

Which the Captain isn't really sure why.

"Absolutely not." said Carlos promptly.

"We should help hiiiim." beamed Ricardo.

"Yeah,yeah,Rulos,let's finish eating first,okay?" Topa sighed in resignation. 

"SÍÍÍÍÍ!!!!" the three brothers cheered in unison.

Carlos going off-key against the others.

Topa shook his head,chuckling softly,going back to eating.

it's too bad if the curly-haired teen ends up not being allowed to go,Francis was so tired yesterday,he really could use a day-off.

* * *

Arnoldo had listened in intently to most of the exchange between Francis,Topa and the Rulos,large bucket of strawberry ice cream secured in one hand while he used the other to take large spoonfuls.

Arnoldo is very _sensitive_ today.

The moment his Francis is free,he's already going camping with the Rulos,this is just great.

The waiter was even blushing when Rulo Rolando touched his hand! They were flirting! Francis didn't even wait a little,maybe a few hours or so.

He really.....felt nothing for his Grand Chef..... 

All this time.... 

All this time Arnoldo had just trapped him with seemingly no way out.

The brunet older man choked back a sob and nearly forcefully shoved another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth,making sure to get more strawberry slices this time,he is not going to cry again because of this.

Francis is free and obviously,he's happy. 

Arnoldo will have to get over it.

The experienced Chef ran away quickly from the doors and out of the kitchen altogether once he heard footsteps approaching.

No Francis? That's okay,more ice cream for him.

Arnoldo wonders how much ice cream it takes to forget a Francis.

* * *

"Franciscote,Francisquín,have you talked to Arnoldazo yet?" Rulo Rolando poked his head through the double doors to the kitchen. 

Startling the overworked waiter in the middle of the last bite of his avocado,nearly making him choke on a nut.

"No,Rulo Rolando,but honestly I don't believe-" Francis started,standing up with the intent of shooing the charming guitarist away.

"Is he around?" asked Rolando,looking around the kitchen,behind Francis,the waiter huffed in exasperation.

"No and you know neither you or the other Rulos are allowed into Arnoldo's kitchen,doesn't matter if he's here or not!" Francis said with a hint of frustration and perhaps.....irritation to his voice. 

Why are the Rulos so insistent on this? That can't be good.... 

Perhaps they're planning another prank for him,even worse than the last.

Yeah,that has to be it.

Maybe they'll leave him alone in the woods and he'll get eaten by a gorilla. 

Or a bear.

Okay,Francis might be overthinking just a little. 

He's one of them,right? They would never leave one of them behind.

Or so Francis likes to believe.

"Francis,you should relaaaax a little,you should come help us!!!" yelled Ricardo out of Francis' peripheral vision. 

"What???!!!" exclaimed the now very anxious waiter being pulled outside.

"That is a very good idea,I do not know where my space socks are,Francis could help me find them." declared Carlos in contemplation,helping a struggling Francis out the doors along with his siblings.

"Guys, I don't-" the curly-haired teen tried weakly despite his strong arms.

"Come on, Franciscocho! You help us pack then we help you! Sounds like a deal?" Rolando grinned toothily,holding on to Francis' arm far tighter than necessary.

Which made the aspiring magician wonder what was the key difference between Arnoldo's tight hold and Rolando's.

Rolando's is weaker and more loose,Arnoldo's is rougher and more urgent.

Arnoldo has this deep,adoring gaze to his dark eyes when he does it,making Francis feel needed and secured.

Rolando has this never-ending hungry gaze to his dark eyes when he does it,making Francis feel uncomfortable and unsafe.

One makes him feel needed,the other makes him feel desired.

Francis knows what he prefers best.

He likes to feel desired,Arnoldo definitely does not fail in making his assistant feel that way.

Yet he likes to feel needed first.

"No, I still got a lot of work to do here-" Francis tried to say,lying easily,they were out of the Dining Car already by now though.

"We make up an excuse for Arnoldazo later! Vamonos!" cheered the 'pretty' rulo,not really putting much effort into carrying the raven-haired waiter to their bunkroom.

Ricardo and Carlos were really the ones doing all the work.

Damn,Francis is getting heavier,but it's always fun to carry him places he's unwilling to go.

* * *

"So you and Arnoldo....broke up?" Harmony concluded,sitted by the red couch with her legs crossed,followed by a very frustrated and still crestfallen Francis.

"Sí." was the short and sharp reply,he was not really in the mood to follow her meditation poses today.

Francis wasn't all that thrilled about telling her,he wishes he didn't have to tell anyone. 

His relationship with Arnoldo should be something between him and his Chef only and no one else should get involved.

But Cherry is not here for him to vent to now,is she? 

She wasn't _real_,Francis....

"Then I don't understand why do you look so blue,that's fantastic news,Francis!!!!" exclaimed the purple clad girl excitedly,smiling bright and patting her close friend's broad shoulder delicately.

The peaceful azafata doesn't get why the curly-haired waiter looks this gloomy and unhappy.

Arnoldo broke up with him,Francis didn't even have to do it himself! That was amazing!

The aspiring magician should be jumping and dancing all over the resting car by now,a large,extremely charming gap-toothed smile that could reach the ceiling should be adorning his pale lips right now.

Not this deep,saddened frown that is breaking her heart. 

Even when the man lets Francis go,he still suffers and it's not fair.

Not fair at all.

Francis is free from Arnoldo at last,he has been bound to the prideful man for the last ten years,it was impressive.

And it didn't even cost an anxiety or panic attack or worse from the hardworking waiter to get to this new stage in life.

He should be celebrating.

"Why?" Francis merely asked,looking down,fiddling with his yellow towel.

He had finally managed to sneak away from the Rulos when Harmony caught him on his trek back to his Grand Chef.

Why won't people just let him go back to Arnoldo? 

Besides,the prideful man has yet to call him back to work,which is very odd.

The stubborn Chef doesn't deal well with being left alone,his silence usually means something far worse than his usual yelling.

Francis looked to his side to face a huffing,indignant looking Harmony,he never got to see her angry often,she always tried her hardest to keep her cool so when she lost it,it wasn't pretty. 

Which only gets the talented waiter even more bewildered,why would she be angry at him? 

Francis is already upset and worried as it is.

He just wants to go back,check on Arnoldo and clear things up as soon as possible.

He will do whatever it takes,he could find a way to fly Nunciatina back to the monorail so she could bake new cookies and even bring a new cherry tomato plant personally.

That ought to up his Chef's dour mood.

Harmony's sudden,enraged rant brought the loyal assistant back from his derailing thoughts.

"Why???? You're asking _ME_ why???!!!! I'm really sorry to say this for the millionth time....but he treats you like garbage,Francis,he controls every single step you take,he yells at you and belittles you any chance he gets,you're much better off without him.You have to trust me on this." the helpful girl with caramel eyes told her best friend,her angry rambling slowly turning positive as she breathed in,taking his fidgety hands on her own and searching for his own uncertain,olive green gaze.

His frown still not leaving his handsome features,she really doesn't understand,_that_ Arnoldo is buried in the past,he's different now.

He's trying now.

For Francis.

"Not to mention,I remember you once telling me that you started 'dating' him when you were 12,long before you were legal.I am very sorry to tell you but he's a criminal,he took advantage of you,Francis.Please,_please_,don't go back to him." Harmony whispered at the older teen as if she was sharing a deep,dark secret,which she was,except she wasn't exactly _sharing_.

She was throwing it back at Francis' face,he gasped,instantly letting go of her delicate hold,entire face showing the evident,deep betrayal he was feeling.

Before her,only Topa knew about this.

And that's only because he already knew both of them back then,he used to date Arnoldo but still remained close friends after they broke up.

Also their Captain didn't really seem all that bothered when he _caught_ them,if anything,he seemed to have enjoyed it quite a bit.

But you definitely won't hear that from him. 

Or Francis.

The purple clad singer was actually the one to introduce Francis to Arnoldo,who was in search of a new,young apprentice at the time.

"You have to understand that you're free now,Francis....like an eagle,you are finally free to fly!" Harmony sensed the tension the topic brought and reached for his arms instead,trying to lighten things up with a tight,nervous smile.

The peaceful azafata probably realized too late she might only had made things worse by bringing delicate topics to the table.

Of course Francis would be _sensitive_ about this subject,he's probably in denial for many years about his Chef's beyond questionable choices and morals.

Arnoldo met the kid when...she was 9 years old,bedded him when he was 12,is Harmony the only sane person at this place????!!!!

It sure feels like it.

All that she wants is Francis to see things as they really are,now that he can finally get an outsider's perspective.

It might be too late for Arnoldo but it's definitely not too late for her Francis.

She trusts him to get out of this situation altogether and this should be the very first big step.

The skillful assistant with thick,black curls does understand Harmony's side and her worries to a certain degree,he didn't forget the many sleepless nights he spent crying on her shoulder because Arnoldo would 'never change' and the overdramatic Chef even seemed to be slipping away from his fingers at times.

But the seemingly impossible happened,Arnoldo _changed. _

Yet Harmony refuses to understand that.

Refuses to understand that he and Arnoldo were _this close_ to finally being happy.

Until the Rulos happened and made everything fall backwards like domino pieces.

"Wait,who's free to fly?" speaking of the Devils.... Rulo Rolando and his insufferable smirk surged seemingly out of thin air beside Francis,who jumped forward immediately,standing up,fixing his vest and towel in the process.

"It's Francis!" Harmony replied with an annoyingly chirpy tone,every single thing surrounding the talented waiter seemed to annoy the hell out of him at the moment.

He needs to escape and find Arnoldo.

Even if for once,the man had probably done a conscious choice and gone to bed.

Francis still needed to see that that was true to feel reassured his Chef was safe and hasn't done anything stupid away from the charming waiter's supervision.

"Harmony-" Francis grit his teeth at the friend he once thought he could trust.

"Por que?" Carlos inquired,curious hand under his own chin in contemplation.

"Because he and Arnoldo are not-" the peaceful brunette couldn't help but say,the Rulos _needed_ to know Francis was not 'bound' to the prideful Chef anymore.

They needed to know they had their friend back.

"Harmony....." Francis declared on a warning tone,thick brows furrowing dangerously close,he was going to snap if this conversation was not over very soon.

"together anymore." Harmony breathed out,feeling like an enormous weight was lifted off her shoulders,she did bother to have a hint of guilt clouding her bright eyes once she glanced back at a fuming looking Francis.

"Sweet!!!! Does that mean Francis doesn't need his permission to go Camping with us anymoooore????" questioned Ricardo with a renewed glee to his dark brown eyes,jumping in place with sheer excitement.

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't." confirmed Harmony with a sheepish grin,she is really not keen on keeping loyal friends today,it seems.

"This is perfect!" exclaimed Rolando,hands already sneaking their way around Francis' shoulders,the raven-haired waiter pulled away as if the simple touch burned him,he'd had enough of all this.

They are wasting his time.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE _FREE_!!! I _WANT_ HIS PERMISSION!!!!" Francis found himself yelling in front of everyone in the room,he was breathing heavily,his heart pounding in his ears,his brown/green eyes burning with the threat of tears. 

Why can't no one understand him?! 

"I want him to know everything I do,everywhere I go,he makes me feel _needed_,he makes me feel _important _and I am willing to do everything in my power to make sure he feels the same,_now_ if you excuse me...." Francis started his teary rant,tugging down violently at his vest,trying to have some sense of composure.

Stiff hands threatening anyone who dared get close.

"It's past lunchtime and he hasn't called me to go back to work so I'm going to check if everything's okay.If _he's_ okay." Francis finished,intending on ending it here,walking past the others with a determined stride to his steps.

"Francis-" tried Harmony.She can't believe that by trying to help,she only drove Francis farther away.

"At least,consider this trip,it could be good for you." attempted Carlos,reaching his own stiff hand out,the overworked waiter glanced back to witness deeply worried bright blue eyes.

Francis gave a weary sigh,offering Carlos a sweet,gap-toothed smile that he hoped would put his close friend's mind a little more at ease.

"I will,ahora permiiiiiso....." Francis walked to the doors leading out of the resting car,until a thought hit him,he smirked,walking back to where a concerned Harmony stood and whispered.

"And by the way,he didn't take advantage of me,he _waited_ until I felt _ready_." the aspiring magician turned back with his head up,leaving the room without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My intention with this 'miniseries' is covering "Post-Cherry" "Pre-Rulo Más Valiente" and finally "Entrenamiento de Arnoldo"


	2. Are you still going to  respect me? (Magic)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We....are here,my time has finally arrived!  
-Someone- wanted to stuff Arnoldo with ice cream ever since La Maquina Expendedora,are you kidding me?!  
This is my time to shine,I've wanted it to be a 'surprise' but I ended up breaking the thing in two parts (even then this still ended up too long).  
And by reading the first part,it wasn't hard to see where it was going,that's on me,sorry but I was born impatient.

_Call it magic_  
_Call it true_  
_Call it magic_  
_When I'm with you_

Francis took the chocolate chip cookies off the oven with fidgety hands,he was starting to get even more nervous and antsy than the usual,he had no luck finding Arnoldo yet.

His Grand Chef was not at the Dining Car,not in his kitchen,not in their room,not in their bathroom,not in the Nave or on the other cars Francis passed by on the way back here where he instead found Natalio rumaging around the kitchen looking for anything to eat.

"Gracias,my young gentleman,er....what was your name again?" Natalio questioned,taking with eager hands the plateful of freshly baked,chocolate chip cookies offered to him.

"Francis,Natalio.... Soy Francis." the curly-haired waiter said wearily,leading the luthier to the dining car,taking a small teapot along with them,the tall handyman did as instructed,even if reluctantly so.

Natalio could swear he heard something,probably background noise,he'd instantly forget about it.

"Francis Natalio? A double name? Fascinating! I'll make sure to remember you everytime I'm hungry and want to get treated well!" Natalio beamed at the charming waiter,fist bumping the air once he sat on a stool and Francis started pouring his tea.

The raven-haired teen smiled shyly,dipping his head and tugging at his towel,Natalio grinned back and went to eagerly devour the delicious smelling cookies,offering some to Francis,who politely refused with his hands stiffly sticking out in front of himself.

Natalio wouldn't remember him,but it was a nice sentiment nonetheless.

It was really the least the young waiter could do for Natalio,after all,no one cooked lunch today.Arnoldo is still gone,after all.

Which only worried the blue-clad waiter further,even when the stubborn man was sick,he still wanted to stay at the kitchen to cook lunch and dinner,it took too much patience and convincing from Topa,Francis and even Lila at some point,whose was ready to drag the prideful Chef to bed by the ears.

Suddenly Francis remembered something,earlier he had seen an absurd amount of ice cream in their fridge since Lila had come by asking for ice cream,which had confused the aspiring magician at first.

Natalio would sure appreciate to have some too.

"No,thank you,Natalio,I already ate,now if you excuse me,I gotta go get something I'm sure you'll like,wait here,permiiiiiso...." Francis excused himself in a rush,he still has a Grand Chef to find after all,he has to be quick about this.

He is wasting enough time already.

"Wait,why are you in such a hurry? Who's Natalio? Are you Natalio?......" the forgetful,tall-haired man threw questions at his waiter's retreating figure,confused as ever,he had no answer.

"Who _was_ that young gentleman....he said he'd bring me something,I hope it's cookies....Oh wait I already have cookies! I hope he brings something else....Look! Tea! Fascinating!" Natalio exclaimed to himself,pointing at the cup of tea in front of him that seemed to magically appear there,drinking from it with an adorable little grin on his long,handsome face.

Francis gave the tall luthier one last glance before entering back into the kitchen completely,rolling his eyes and shaking his head with great affection.

The talented waiter opened the fridge to get a handful of cups of mint,strawberry and raspberry Ice cream,considering the insane amount that was still left of the sweet,frozen treat,Francis assumes Arnoldo only spent the night making them,instead of eating any of it.

It wasn't exactly uncommon for the prideful Chef to spend the night cooking and not really eat any of it,but it was the first time he made ice cream during his nightly endeavours.

He hasn't done it even the first time the brunet Chef let Francis go,all those years ago.

When the talented apprentice was 15,young and foolish,falling for the first handsome guitarist with killer dimples that appeared in front of him,thinking the boy was the 'prince' that would 'save' him.

The one time Francis genuinely thought he had found _better_,that he had found a 'escape',when the answer to his happiness had been with Arnoldo all along,he only needed to be _patient_.

Patient enough to realize his prince was in fact,a _King_,overweight,mustached and incredibly handsome with talents of his own,who ruled everywhere he went,with Francis right beside him at all times.

The kind,helpful waiter sighed dreamily to himself,Arnoldo needs to know the truth,that Francis doesn't need anyone else.

Not anymore.

Or ever did.

The overworked waiter took the cups of ice cream to Natalio,whose face lit up like it was Christmas,he thanked Francis greatly,leaving the dining car with the remains of his food plus ice cream,the aspiring magician proudly grinned to himself,fixing his vest out of habit,he knew the man definitely intended to share what he was just given.

He admired Natalio so much,it's no wonder Arnoldo and the Captain are so fond of him,so is Francis.

It's for good reason.

Would Natalio care if Arnoldo was gone? Would he remember? Would he be sad? Worried like Francis is?

_And I just got broken_  
_Broken into two_  
_Still I call it magic_  
_When I'm next to you_

The curly-haired teen shook his head helplessly,a deep frown adorning his pale,soft features,he turned back,entering the kitchen yet again.

He probably won't.

Francis leaned against the counter,both hands gripping to it firmly,dropping his head forward and letting a long sigh escape his body,blinking back tears,nobody cared.

And if they did,it would be because of the food only.

Why is everyone happy that Arnoldo broke things off? Why is everyone happy that he's gone and moving on with their lives when it's the only thing in the skilled waiter's mind? 

_And I don't, and I don't, and I don't, and I don't_  
_No, I don't,_  
_It's true_  
_I don't, no, I don't, no, I don't, no_

_I don't want anybody else but you_

Now that he's _'free'_,he's just feeling more trapped than ever.

Freedom is not exactly...._freeing_ if the person you care about the most,the one you live for is not there to enjoy every moment of it right beside you.

Francis considered looking through all the places he already searched around all over again,Arnoldo couldn't have left the monorail altogether,right? Lila would have told the responsible waiter if so.

The entire monorail would have probably been warned by now.

No one can go past Lila or EMA,even less _Arnoldo,_he would have only,more than likely,just started to press all the buttons and alert the smart robot,thus the fierce conductor immediately.

Also they had done no stops yet,the next one was exactly the small forest where the Rulos would set up Camp. 

The stubborn,brunet Chef is definitely still inside the monorail,just hidden somewhere.

Francis recomposed himself,pulling down at his vest,tugging at his loyal towel and fixing his gelled curls,already on his way to the dining car and beyond to see if he has better luck finding his Chef this time when he heard his name being called very faintly in the distance by a raspy and heavily accented voice,extremely familiar and refreshing to the hardworking waiter's ears.

_Call it magic_  
_Cut me into two_  
_And with all your magic_  
_I disappear from view_

It sounded so weak,barely above a whisper,Francis is not sure how he even caught it. 

But he's so very glad he did.

"Franciiiis.....no,what am I doing? I can't call him anymore...he already left....he probably already forgot about me too...." Arnoldo slumped back heavily against the wall,staring up at the ceiling with moist,big,dark brown eyes,intentionally letting his head fall back against the hard surface.

_And I can't get over_  
_Can't get over you_  
_Still I call it magic_  
_You're such a precious jewel_

Arnoldo was already in enough pain as it was,what's one more? 

Francis breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing his older partner's voice yet he also felt a large pang of guilt in his chest for neglecting the prideful man for so long already,his Chef is clearly in profound distress.

And he's needing him.

The aspiring magician ran to the door leading inside the food storage where he was sure he had heard Arnoldo's voice come from,slapping his face mentally for not checking here in the first place.

The skilled waiter tried to open the door but it was locked,a small little smile tugging at the corners of his thin lips without the boy really wanting to due to the circunstances.

This also wasn't _that_ uncommon.

Arnoldo got stuck inside that storage in many other occasions,he will be fine,Francis could even still go camping if he really wanted to,after releasing his Chef,of course.

But there's no other place he'd rather be if Arnoldo is here,Francis knocked tentatively on the door.

"Arnoldo!!!! Did you lock yourself inside the food storage again,señor?" Francis yelled,biting back a small smirk,he asked mostly to verify if this was just like the other occurrences similar to this.

"No,Francis,_io_-" Arnoldo started very weakly,yet he was promptly interrupted by his charming assistant.

"Don't worry,sir,I'm gonna get the keys! You'll be out of there in an instant!" the raven-haired teen yelled in a hurry,usually he kept them with him,on the pouch of his apron.

He felt it up to notice nothing else but his phone there,today was not that day.

"Franciiiis,don't! I'm perfectly fine where I am..." the experienced Chef tried to raise his voice with extreme difficulty,concerning the sassy waiter more with each restrained,pained word.

"Don't worry,sir,I'll be right back!" Francis shouted on his way to their room where he remembers last leaving the spare keys to keep them safe.

Of course Arnoldo wouldn't admit he ended up trapped again,he's too proud,that's his thing. 

Or at least that's one of his many,many things.

Francis does remember the last time the man got locked,not too long ago,really. 

The Rulos were helping carrying groceries in exchange for extra dessert yet decided it was a good idea to lock the short-tempered Grand Chef inside the food storage,the man stayed an hour trapped there before Francis finished his chores and started looking for Arnoldo after having no luck finding the older man taking a nap in their room or the resting car.

Francis found the large man freezing despite his boiling hot anger at the trio. 

Dessert was canceled for everyone for the rest of the week.

It was not a,particularly,good week.

Francis ran back with the keys,opening the door quickly,to save his boss from becoming a large,angry,round popsicle again.

What the kind waiter found was......not that.

He found his Arnoldo.....but looking _somewhat_ different from his usual self.

The brunet,prideful Chef was trying his best to cower by the corner,trying to make himself look 'small',probably for Francis to 'not see him' which....is literally impossible in the man's current state.

Or any state,really,Arnoldo just always likes to make sure his presence is known.

The Grand Chef had his arms trembling stiffly by his sides,hands balled into fists,opening and closing occasionally,trying to steady his sharp,ragged breathing,he was surrounded by many buckets of ice cream scattered around the storage's floor alongside a beyond miserable looking Arnoldo.

Most of the recipients were finished and empty,some others were not,some of the delicious,frozen treat had very obviously melted into the older man's disheveled Chef costume,staining it in many distinct colors according to the flavors,same could be noted about the Grand Chef's much bigger and rounder than the usual features.

Arnoldo was mostly covered in pink because of his undying devotion to strawberries,he actually had a few in one of his closed palms that he had given up on trying to eat some time ago.

Raspberries got the older man's heart pretty fast after he first tried them a handful of years ago,yet nothing ever beats strawberries.

Arnoldo saw his young mentee come in,mentally shrugged and popped the last strawberries left into his mouth,he couldn't see himself feeling better or worse than he is right now so what the hell,might as well.

The stubborn Chef found himself whimpering miserably right afterwards,regretting the decision not even a second after going through with it.

They were delicious but both the waiter and his mentor could hear loud and clear the brunet man's extremely enlarged belly groaning loudly in protest.

Arnoldo looked away,sniffling softly,feeling extremely embarassed,Francis shouldn't have to witness his pitiful display or put up with any of this. 

Anymore.

_And I don't, and I don't and I don't, and I don't_  
_No, I don't,_  
_It's true_  
_I don't, no, I don't, no, I don't, no_

_I don't want anybody else but you_

The hardworking waiter didn't have much time to marvel at the wonderful sight that awaited him,think things through or process all the feelings going through his mind and body just yet,upon seeing an extraordinarily overstuffed and helpless Arnoldo completely at his mercy.

At the moment,the man just looked like he was in extreme pain,tears rolling freely down his ice cream stained round cheeks,mixing the sweet and the salt together as he continued to refuse to meet his young apprentice's <strike>_lustful_</strike> concerned gaze,Arnoldo was sitted on the floor,leaning for dear life against the far wall behind him,desperate,restless hands clutching the hard,cold surface under him.

Francis' first logical instinct was to run to him,kneel down and aid his boss in anything he might need instead of outright lusting for him.

That surely can wait.

Probably wait until Francis can resolve things between them because,_technically_,they're not together anymore.

Still it's just a fact that (his) Arnoldo is gorgeous,Francis can't believe the amount of time it took for him to realize how lucky he really is (or was?) to have an Arnoldo,just for himself.

And him only.

It's just really terrible timing when the moment the skilled waiter is aware of this the most,it's exactly the time where he just let his Boss slip away due to incredibly stupid,rookie mistakes. 

One or two insanely poor,unfortunate decisions later and the very handsome,overweight,prideful Italian man is not his anymore.

Can't Arnoldo see that Francis doesn't need to go after anyone else,when he already has _this_?

Just the _idea_ of his Grand Chef Arnoldo indulging himself in endless amounts of ice cream all morning long because of a break up was something unthinkable a day ago. 

And now it might just drive Francis a little bit further into the brink of insanity.

Because _now_ that the mental image is implanted there,it won't leave the talented waiter's mind any time soon.

A part of him wanted to have helped the stubborn man get to this state,perhaps not _this_ agonized,beyond pained,nearly sick state,but....control how much he could really take before....it got to this.

Get to stuff Arnoldo in large amounts of desserts just sounds like the highest honor and privilege imaginable,the young waiter can't help but wonder how that sensation would feel like.

The other part of his mind, (maybe the less insane one) is slapping that part in the face repeatedly and yelling _'Get a grip,useless waiter,he needs you,do your goddam job.'_

Francisimmediatelytook out his dish towel from his arm,folding it neatly and starting to wipe his older partner's dirtied face with it,taking away the Ice cream,the tears,the sweat.

And hopefully some of his sorrows would come off too.

"Arnoldo,what happened?! How can I help you,sir?" the curly-haired teen started politely yet deep worry laced his tone and soft,handsome features,checking his Boss' current,far larger and rounder body for any injuries or deep discomfort.

The stubborn man indeed looked extremely uncomfortable and in pain,most of the top of his Chef attire unbuttoned and untucked from his apron along with his red undershirt that was noticeably riding up to his chest,showing off great glimpses of a soft,large and fat,slightly hairy stomach,that tried to escape and spill out from the articles of clothing that confined and restrained it.

It was a breathtaking view Francis felt like losing himself in already,he shook his thoughts away and helped the older man carefully take the blue garment of clothing off first,trying his hardest to keep his mouth from watering,other parts of his body were already betraying the situation and getting wet enough as it was.

_This was all you,Francis,you got him to this stage,you may have not fed him all that ice cream directly._

_But he looks like this because of you._

Francis shuddered to himself,Arnoldo couldn't help but whimper and whine through the whole ordeal even if he barely had to move or even could.

Why was Francis here? the hot-tempered Chef feels like he's been stuck here for days,perhaps...a full day went by and Francis is back already? 

....... That has to be it.

And what is that....warmth in his waiter's brown/green eyes,they're getting bigger,darker and seemingly predatory every moment the older man dares to take a glimpse back at them.

He's still so embarassed that Francis had to find him like this. 

Defeated,absolutely hopelesss and pathetic.

None of his usual self left.

He'd rather Francis find him dead instead,it would have been far less humiliating,that's for sure.

As it is,he can't see Francis respecting him as his Boss and Mentor ever again.

He's a walking laughing stock now.

He's a joke of a Chef,not even Francis will ever take him seriously again.

Now if only the boy's darkening,inviting olive eyes would stop mocking him.

"Francis....are you back....from Camp already? Do you know how long have I been here?" Arnoldo said softly,stopping himself to try to breathe every few seconds and hiccupping every once in awhile.

He is never eating anything in his life ever again.

He should simply stick to just cooking and that's it,his true talent,the one thing he excels at.

Aside from being a large beach ball of pathetic human waste,that is.

Arnoldo looked back from wallowing in his own misery to try and pay attention to his mentee and the nervous,restrained,gap-toothed smile the boy was offering.

So damn pretty.

Yet never meant to be his.

"No,Arnoldo,you only stayed here all morning and a little past lunch,I haven't gone anywhere and don't plan to either.My place is here with you,besides you're needing my help." Francis reassured his boss and partner.

Helping him take off the red undershirt that had become painfully tight around the older's overstuffed,large,round frame,Chef hat being pulled along the way with slight protest from the overly large man.

The hat left behind a charming mess of unkempt light brown curls.Arnoldo bowed his head,looking down,mumbling something nearly unintelligible that might have sounded suspisciously like _'I don't need your help'_ yet reluctantly allowed Francis lift up his thick,heavy,soft arms to take the shirt off all the way through.

Francis found his eyes gluing to his boss' hardened nipples that had gotten to that state due to the cold the brunet man was feeling,the smooth,thin,light brown hairs on Arnoldo's soft,voluminous chest did a poor job covering them.

The talented waiter cleared his throat uncomfortably,fixing his vest,feeling his round cheeks flush dark red upon the intrusive mental image of burying his large nose into the thick,pale skin of his Chef's bountiful chest and kissing,nipping,licking every small,soft surface he could get his eager,wet mouth on.

Francis glanced up to find Arnoldo looking as red and embarassed as the apprentice himself was feeling at the moment.

Why were they acting like this? 7 years together and suddenly it's like they never even saw each other naked before.

It's a very strange feeling.

Francis felt himself being pulled back to when he was 11 years old,pining hopelessly for his Mentor,who so happens to be 31 years older,the aspiring magician used to recall for days and days after,if the older man did so much as let his large hand linger on the curly-haired teen's far smaller one for a little over a second.

Those times when Francis wanted so desperately for his Chef to kiss him,to tell him he loved him,tell him how important he is and how proud he is of him.

Francis wanted so badly for Arnoldo to give him a chance,never thinking he really would give his young,loyal apprentice one.

Then he got that chance,far sooner than he really expected and it was nothing like the flowers and paradise the skilled assistant thought it would be,to actually date Arnoldo was a living nightmare,Francis did try to escape several times despite his feelings for the prideful man never fading.

Little did he know it would get better eventually.

Then it ended.

_Wanna fall_  
_I fall so far_  
_I wanna fall_  
_I fall so hard_

Over these years,Francis does not remember ever seeing his Chef overeat this much or even seen him get nearly _this_ big before.

Arnoldo has always been big and Francis always found the older man insanely attractive that way,yet the aspiring magician doesn't want to keep thinking about what that huge,round,soft belly covered by the large,wine colored apron tied tightly around the man's waist is doing to his own mind and body right this instant.

The sassy waiter took a sharp intake of breath,biting the inside of his cheek,suppressing a groan and fixing his vest once again,Arnoldo's in deep distress and this is incredibly inconvenient.

Besides,Arnoldo's feelings _always_ come first.

He has been forgetting this far too often these days.

"Francis......fermare....per favore.... I can't move,can barely breathe,I'm cold but sweating at the... same time.....Sono a complete mess covered in gelato.....Francis,you're free from me,I'm about to die...c- can you go camping already and let me die in peace,Francis.... can you do this....one last thing.... for me,please?" Arnoldo said lowly,breathing heavily and with great difficulty,his big eyes pleading and deeply pained,his words slurring together and nearly incompehensible,yet the loyal apprentice heard every single one clearly.

It didn't take Francis long to realize that what was bothering the man most was definitely the extremely tight apron that hugged the older man's very large,round belly _(just right)_ so tightly he couldn't breathe properly and his Chef probably was unable to reach back and untie it on his own due to his current circunstance.

For how long has he been suffocating here while the raven-haired waiter assumed he was just asleep?

Useless,incompetent,irresponsible... maybe there's more to this break up than Arnoldo simply thinking his younger partner was cheating.

Perhaps Arnoldo had some logical reasoning behind all this after all.

Letting his Grand Chef freeze and suffocate to death,trapped at the food storage sure sounds like reason enough.

"You're not dying,sir,you just ate too much ice cream....happens to the best of us." Francis bit back a chuckle,going to action immediately. 

Putting his towel aside and bending his body forward,face moving inches away from the older man's,the aspiring magician moved his head to the side,hunching a little bit further until both his thick arms that were circling around (and inevitably leaning against) the prideful Chef's big love handles,until he managed to finally reach,although with slight difficulty behind the man's large back.

Arnoldo gripped tightly to the young waiter's thick shoulders for support,'unintentionally' pulling the boy towards him even more.The curly-haired teen could feel clear as ever,Arnoldo's heavy,sharp breathing against his ear.

Not to mention,he could also feel how even more plump,soft and comfy the brunet chef's body really felt,Francis wishes they could stay like this forever.

From an outsider's perspective,it simply looked like Francis was throwing his body against Arnoldo's front while the stubborn man 'caught' him.

Then a long awaited cuddle session could start.

But it's rare the occasion where we get what we really want.

Francis received very little reluctance or protest as he finally managed to untie the older's apron,witnessing his Chef relax instantly,letting his body plop back and his rough hands begrudginly let go of his skilled apprentice's broad shoulders,breathing in urgently,his lungs desperate for some air,his enormously enlarged belly spilling forward into his thighs and to his sides,jiggling in the process.

Francis sat back,reluctantly putting some distance between him and his boss,folding the apron neatly and setting it aside,along his towel,the blue chef costume and red chef hat.

Francis couldn't help but bite his lip and lick the inside of his cheeks,losing his own breath (and mind) at the enormous,marvelous sight still just some inches away from him.

The skilled apprentice moved a bit further away to start taking off Arnoldo's white sneakers,without the apron and even still with the huge belly in the way,the talented waiter could notice that the buttons and zipper from the older's red pants had popped out,to remove them so Josefina could fix them,the shoes had to go first.

The stubborn chef closed his eyes shut,back to clutching the wall behind him,upon feeling his stomach cramping and growling loudly,strands of brown hair falling in front of his round,weary,pained face,Francis found himself dumbly staring,his Arnoldo was a big mess indeed,an absolute gorgeous,breathtaking one at that.

Yet the charming waiter has to make sure Arnoldo feels better first before thinking about anything else.

Like losing himself on that tout,large,round body,kissing adoringly every single inch of skin-

"Franciscochooooo,where are youuuu,you'll be late for Camp!" yelled Rolando,definitely from the kitchen,Francis cursed under his breath,putting aside the second shoe,along with his Chef's other belongings.

Arnoldo's eyes opened wide and his hands instinctively closed into fists,Francis took his towel from where it rested beside his boss,making sure to clean the remaining tears and sweat from Arnoldo's face before putting the yellow piece of cloth on the pouch of his apron,the raven-haired waiter exhaled softly,he didn't want to face Rolando or anyone else right now.

He can fix things with Harmony later,she's the best friend he'd ever had,he doesn't want to extend this fight for long,there's gotta be a way to make peace with her,she will understand.

Even if she'll never understand that Arnoldo always comes first.

Also Rolando definitely shouldn't be in the kitchen.

That's Arnoldo's Kitchen,only Arnoldo and Francis are allowed there,anyone else has to have the Grand Chef's ultimate permission.

"Francis,you should go.....You should go camping,io starò bene..." insisted Arnoldo weakly,noticeably shivering with the cold,crossing his large arms over his abundant chest,his massive belly still grumbling in great discomfort,he moved sluggishly with extreme difficulty,refusing to meet his apprentice's eyes once again.

How come Francis keep coming back every single time? It's puzzling the older man to no end.

He's got nothing left to offer the boy with gorgeous,black curls.

His apprentice and partner of years has to know he needs to move on.

But perhaps what they say it's true after all; _'If you love them,let them go,if they come back,they're yours'._

Francis looked at the adorable little pout the stubborn Chef adorned in his round features,with both his hands now tapping above his very enlarged,bare stomach,the aspiring magician could swear there was a hint of a small smile tugging at the corners of the man's lips despite his pain.

The loyal assistant heard the 'pretty' guitarist call his name yet again,the sassy teen groaned quietly to himself,hand pulling at the hem of his vest.

He needed to get up to fetch some things for Arnoldo anyway,aside from having to take the buckets of ice cream and the dirty,sticky clothes away to get washed along with his towel.

So much work to do already,why isn't Francis angrier than he feels he should be about this situation? 

Maybe when he finally stands up,leaves the room _and_ a drastically overstuffed,half-naked Arnoldo isn't on his line of sight anymore.

Maybe _then_ he will see things with a somewhat clear mind.

"No,you need me here,sir,I'm going to get you something to warm you up and make you feel more comfortable,I'll be right back,permiiiiiso..." Francis said quickly,patting his boss' bare shoulders stiffly.

Standing up in a rush,tugging harshly at his vest and collecting the buckets and clothes from the floor,already running in his head the things to bring back to help Arnoldo.

"Franciiiis..." the short-tempered Chef in question whined pathetically once Francis was practically on his way out the door,carrying far more things than he should be physically able to.

"Yes,sir?" the skilled waiter said promptly,turning his head slightly to glance at the miserable state his boss remained.

"You don't have to stay for me,you should know that." the experienced cook managed to say firmly,rubbing one cold hand against the other,staring into his waiter's eyes from across the room with great intensity.

And devotion.

Francis stared back with the same intensity,hoping that his own everlasting adoration was showing through his dark olive orbs,the loyal assistant said softly,displaying a big,genuine,gorgeous smile despite his troubles.

"Don't worry,sir,I _want_ to,permiiiiiso..."

_And I call it magic_  
_And I call it true_  
_I call it magic_

* * *

"So,did you talk to Arnoldo?" asked Carlos in his monotone once Francis entered the kitchen with at least,10 buckets on his thick arms.

"Yes." answered the waiter quickly,leaving the objects by the counter and small sink,without giving so much as a glance to the Triplets standing by,munching on anything they could find.

"And what did he saaaaayyy????" questioned Ricardo excitedly,his own cup of ice cream in hands,somehow he genuinely thought the waiter's answer would be positive.

You can't blame him,that was indeed the answer they got last time,even if Arnoldo himself ended up coming along with them.

"It's not happening,I'm not going,I'm really sorry,Rulos,but I have too much work to do here,look,maybe next time?" Francis said,grinning awkwardly,leaning his back against the counter,pointing to the many buckets that would await him,fixing his vest and getting himself a new yellow towel for his arm.

"Pero-" started Ricardo,adorable frown taking over his face.Rolando crossed his arms,shaking his head in disapproval at the scene.

"Can't you see he's got you caged,Francis???!!! He's got you hooked to him!!! You **_have_** to snap out of it!!!" Rolando stepped forward,yelling in the waiter's face,body shaking in fury,dark eyes burning with intense fire,he couldn't take this anymore.

Francis hunched over himself,bowing his head and tugging at his new clean towel,Rolando pitied what he thought to be the curly-haired teen's situation,Arnoldo was treating him as his personal slave or something.

How could Francis simply _not_ see that Rolando is the right person for him?!?!?! 

The blue-clad musician launched himself forward,pulling the curly-haired waiter by his tight vest and kissing him forcibly,roughly on the lips.

The remaining Rulos plus Francis gasped loudly,the aspiring magician looked horrified at the scene with wide brown/green eyes.

Ricardo cheered awkwardly,Carlos rapidly stopping him,moving his index finger in disapproval,all happening in a matter of seconds.

Rolando kept forcing his mouth on Francis' who refused to reciprocate while he squirmed and tried to somewhat politely push the other boy away,shock quickly wearing off by now.

Replaced by an ever growing wild rage of his own.

The young guitarist smirked against the assistant's unresponsive mouth,taking his hands off the talented apprentice's vest,eagerly roaming to his soft sides.

Going around the waiter's waist,to his lower back and taking the opportunity to grope the other boy's plump,round ass with both hands.

Francis shrieked loudly,already feeling beyond anxious,uncomfortable and angry with the whole situation,even with trembling,stiff hands,he pushed Rolando away with all the force he could gather.

The dimpled rulo was sent flying by the double doors,rolling over tables at the dining car until he fell unconscious to the floor,a table falling over his body.

Ricardo and Carlos had horrified,apologetic looks on their faces,suddenly not really hungry for ice cream anymore,they really didn't expect their brother to go that far.

To be _this_ desperate.

"We are really sorry,Francis." tried Carlos hesitantly,a lump forming on his throat being the only responsible for showing the emotions he was truly feeling.

"I know,listen,I- I gotta go,you sh-should go check on him though,permiii-" the skilled,curly-haired teen stuttered out,fixing his vest,ready to go back the way he came from.

"Francis." Carlos interrupted,his bright blue eyes now full of despair,he clutched tightly to his orange-clad brother's arm beside him,the sweet teen looking adorably lost and sad,awkwardly patting the tall,redhead's hand.

Suddenly this Camping trip didn't look as fun anymore.

"Sí,Carlos?" replied Francis with a hint of impatience to his tone.

This is being such a long day.

"Will you be okay?" Carlos asked,genuine concern lacing his usual monotone,Francis couldn't help but give out a small grin of reassurance.

He'd gone through much worse in his short lifetime,he will be just fine.

"I will."

* * *

"Arnoldo,señor,I brought you some tea,your favorite blankets,a fluffy mat for you to lay down on,your loaf of bread pillow and.....some plush donuts-" Francis entered the food storage quickly,again carrying in his broad arms far more than he should be able to.

The aspiring magician rushed out the words as he crouched in front of an agitated Arnoldo,starting to put down all the items he just mentioned.

"They have names,Francis.Treat them with respect." the Grand Chef interrupted in a somewhat bored manner,crossing his arms over his soft chest and narrowing his gaze at the young waiter.

He was tired and could use some strawberry ice cream to ease his pain but if all Francis has is tea... 

"Fine,uh.....Bertha,Marisa and...Miriam?" Francis tried very unsurely while fluffling the bread pillow and setting it at the end of the blue and red,incredibly comfy looking mat. 

"Bertha,Fiorella _and_ Monica,Francis,how can you be so incompetent... but you were close enough." Arnoldo sighed defeatedly,the skilled apprentice guided the cup containing peppermint tea to the older man's lips,the stubborn chef huffed,snatching the cup from the boy's hands and sipping it on his own.

It tasted wonderful,Arnoldo will never admit to anyone but Francis' tea has always been much better than his.

He's lucky to have a Francis,one that always comes back.

And brings good tea along with him to top it off.

"Sorry,sir." the kind waiter dipped his head,pulling at his towel and taking the now empty cup off of his Chef's restless large hands.

Francis laid Arnoldo down slowly into the mat,carefully holding on to the much larger man's arms,trying not to stare at his body too much,he's been guilty enough of that already and it serves them nothing.

The prideful man grumbled all the way through,his head meeting the bread loaf pillow soundly,Arnoldo closed his eyes shut,moaning involuntarily,hugging the plush donuts tightly to his abundant,hairy chest.

He was feeling his body get a little bit better already,despite the protesting sounds that still came from his very enlarged belly.

Also finally laying down made the hot-tempered cook hyper aware he hasn't slept at all,not even a nap in the past two days.

No wonder he was barely feeling like himself at the moment.

Francis swallowed dryly,pulling at his towel and averting his eyes to any other spot in the room that didn't look nearly as interesting and inviting to look at as this.

Look at those green apples go,they're nutritious,round.... succulent,they make your mouth water when you bite on them-

"Francis?" Arnoldo raised a thick brow at his distracted waiter,hand already stuck inside one of the donuts,Monica or Míriam or whatever.

"Sí,señor?" Francis' head shot back to his boss,pale cheeks heating up for the thousandth time in the past hour.

Not being able to touch Arnoldo the way he used to is getting to be the most difficult task to deal with today.

Finding out that some of the closest people to you won't respect your wishes and boundaries got nothing on this.

The charming waiter is having a hard time shaking away the feeling that he should have seen that coming.

That he should have known better.

Accusing Arnoldo of being a bad person than following that with being very despicable yourself.

The young guitarist really was not helping his own case here.

No one is allowed to touch Francis like that aside from Arnoldo,even if they're not together anymore.

Maybe the Italian Chef sabotaging his and Rolando's relationship very early on was for the best after all.

Perhaps Arnoldo has always known Rulo Rolando was bad news,Francis just gave the raven-haired musician the benefit of the doubt way too many times to count.

"I'm sorry I made you miss your Camping trip,Francis ....." Arnoldo lamented sorrowfully,looking up at Francis with big,genuinely regretful dark eyes,fiddling with a pink,sprinkled donut,_Fiorella_,while the curly-haired teen struggled to pull down the man's ice cream stained pants.

The Grand Chef did not look particularly pleased with that.

"And stop undressing me already,Francis!!! What do you think you're doing???!!!" the experienced chef started squirming in place,not realizing he was actually _helping_ his mentee take the red,oversized garment of clothing off.

"I'm sorry,but I need to,sir,they are dirty and need to be washed,I promise I'll get you fresh clothes soon." Francis dipped his head,displaying a sweet,apologetic,gap-toothed smile that worked wonders in melting the older man's heart.

"Also,you didn't make me miss anything,Arnoldo,_believe me_,I really rather be here and take care of you." Francis put the now folded pants aside,breathing in and patting his Chef's shoulder stiffly.

Or as lovingly as he could manage with his limited knowledge of social and affectionate skills.

The curly-haired apprentice received a small frown and furrowed brows from his boss instead.

"Take care..... of this?! Per favore! I'm more ice cream than Grand Chef right now,Francis!" Arnoldo scoffed and whined loudly,pointing dranatically at his extremely overstuffed,full belly,slumping back against the thin yet very fluffy and confortable mattress.

His whole body seeming to shake and jiggle along in the process,making small gurgling sounds.

Arnoldo was literally in his blue,silverware stamped underwear and knee-high white socks only,every single inch of skin left was on display and moving with every small gesture the older man did,the Grand Chef reached the hand without a donut down,starting to rub his enormously large stomach weakly,not one bit shy about letting his groans of approval leave his lips.

It was hypnotizing,Francis just couldn't look away.

"Is your stomach still upset,señor? I could bring more tea-" Francis offered to the older man yet got interrupted fairly quickly.

"Of course it is,Francis!!! Can't you hear it? But you'll actually be more useful if you help me rub it,I can't reach that lower part,see?"

Francis gulped audibly,running terribly shaky hands around his towel,he didn't think he'd get to do this,that Arnoldo would allow him and even less order him to do it.

The talented waiter nodded in his usual way,finding himself downright laying beside his partner of years,gently pushing the man's large,rough hand away from the sizeable,soft,hairy surface with faint protest.

Francis has done this a considerable amount of times before,he knew exactly what to do to please his Chef,the aspiring magician started to rub and caress stiffly yet very gently around the older's smooth,soft,overhanging lower stomach.

He heard Arnoldo moaning lowly from the back of his throat,shutting his eyes to display long,pretty lashes,Francis is sure that if there is a heaven,it feels and sounds exactly like this.

"Arnoldo.....how did you know the Rulos invited me to go Camping?" Francis found himself asking out of the blue,after a few minutes of somewhat awkward silence while the responsible waiter tenderly massaged around the smooth,fat rolls on the older's sides and his middle,earning some heavenly sounds from the _sensitive_ man in the process.

Now the only signs indicating that the brunet chef was still awake were his soft breathing and low approving grunts that made the young assistant's body shiver.

He doesn't remember ever having the chance to mention to Arnoldo that he was invited to go camping,it kept nagging on the raven-haired teen's mind until the question inevitably escaped the boy's lips.

"I overheard- it doesn't matter,Francis! You owe me nothing! I owe you nothing! You can go anywhere you want! We're through or did you already forget?" Arnoldo said with prominent irritation to his tone,opening both eyes,well on his way to getting _sensitive_.

He moved around the mat with the intent of sitting up,yet the aspiring magician pushed him back down with a bit more force than necessary.

"But I don't want to be!" exclaimed the talented waiter in exasperation,taking his boss completely aback.

Francis sat up sideways,fully intending to take advantage of this sudden surge of courage.

That he already saw himself regretting before he even started.

"Do you want to know what _I_ remember???!!! **_YOU_** making assumptions of your own and decisions of your own,without ever asking how _I_ feel-" Francis kept on shouting,stiff hands articulating on their own,stubborn tears forming at the corners of his bright,furious eyes.

He is definitely losing Arnoldo for good after all of this is over,isn't he? 

His only safe haven he could always count on coming back to.

Francis is shattering it with his bare hands.

"I don't understand,Francis,the plant,the cinnamon cookies,you gave it all to them-" Arnoldo interrupted his young assistant with great confusion adorning his round face.

He looked adorable,still trying to sit up on his own and failing miserably,Francis finally took pity on the man he still loved so deeply and helped him up.

"That was a mistake,okay? Your mom's cookies,the cherry tomatoes,all a mistake! I slept so poorly the other night,I genuinely believed that _that_ plant could talk! And maybe....just _maybe_ I really hoped from the deepest places of my heart that it did and you want to know why,Arnoldo?!" the skilled teen continued his rant,fighting hard to keep his tears at bay and his sobs and hiccups from escaping.

Arnoldo silently shook his head No,a large,rough hand going instinctively to his waiter's shoulder,gripping it firmly.

He knew his Francis had been very tired yesterday,he recalls even going as far as telling the boy to leave work early so he could sleep.

Yet the skilled apprentice did so much damage before that could even happen.

"Because I wanted someone to talk to! Someone that would listen to me! Every single day I wish that that person could be you,señor! Why can't it be you,Arnoldo?" Francis couldn't help his sobs this time,all Arnoldo felt he was able to do was squeeze the distressed boy's thick arm harder,an agonizing lump forming on his throat.

He didn't have a clear answer,the Grand Chef thought he and Francis already were the type of friends and partners who told everything to each other.

Yet that would be very hypocritical on his part since he still hides so many things about himself from Francis.

Many things the sassy,responsible teen is better off not knowing.

Being a wanted criminal in 3 European countries certainly could do the trick if the intent is to lose someone's seemingly undying loyalty.

"You're already everything to me,Arnoldo,why can't you be my best friend too so I won't let myself get tricked this foolishly again?" Francis sobbed harder and the stubborn chef immediately pulled his assistant into a tight hug,barely realizing he was doing so until he felt the younger's hiccups and sobs shaking both their bodies.

"And stop spying on me!!! That's a little creepy..." 

Francis mumbled against the older's soft neck,holding on to Arnoldo like a lifeline,both broad arms secured firmly on the man's bare back,the Grand Chef's own hands,one draped over the boy's back,patting it somewhat harshly,the other clinging to his greasy,black curls,he looked slightly offended by the accusation yet ultimately setting for kissing the aspiring magician's forehead in the process.

Arnoldo couldn't really see the large grin spreading across the waiter's thin lips,it was all....uniquely intimate.

Francis loved it,besides it felt great to have these feelings off his chest once and for all.

_And_ have Arnoldo actually act in a positive manner about it all.

He's not hoping it will last but it would be nice if it did.

Also Arnoldo's body feels so soft and squishy,he _really_ wishes he could stay here forever.

"I'm......sorry,Francis,I promise I'm going to try to listen to you more,you know I've been trying,eh? I thought....it was all a huge waste of time by now,if you were already considering moving on..." Arnoldo trailed off,lifting the raven-haired teen's head by his soft chin so their moisted eyes could meet.

"I know,Arnoldo and it's not,I notice everything.... I notice everything you do and I'm proud of you for trying." Francis whispered somewhat hoarsely,displaying to his mentor a weary,teary smile.

He reluctantly took one of his arms off the Grand Chef's large back to wipe some of his boss' tears away.

His _own_ tears can wait.

"Grazie,Francis...." Arnoldo said,bowing his head,suddenly,uncharacteristically shy.

He was never expecting for _those words_ to come out of his apprentice's mouth.

Even less directed at _him_.

_I'm proud of you_

"You know,Francis,I really could use a nap right now...." Arnoldo said,finally letting go of his waiter after clinging to him for dear life for some good minutes now.

"I know,señor." was all Francis said while helping the older man lay back down,Arnoldo pulling the boy along to lay with him,the curly-haired teen found no will on himself to fight back,simply draping Arnoldo's red,weighted blanket over the both of them.

They laid comfortably under the blanket,Francis closed his eyes,his head laying across Arnoldo's chest while he rubbed small circles around the prideful chef's very enlarged belly,Arnoldo shutting his own eyes,humming contentedly.

One hand on the boy's waist,the other inevitably back to squeezing Francis' arms.

"Francis?" 

"Sí,Arnoldo?" 

"I was afraid you wouldn't respect me anymore after.....what you had to see today...." Arnoldo confessed,genuinely surprising the charming teen with his humble words,Francis tried his hardest to suppress a giggle,discreetly covering his mouth.

The Grand Chef Arnoldo was embarassed!!! That was cute.

"I'm really sorry,sir,but that's ridiculous,it definitely takes a lot more than stuffing yourself in ice cream to lose me." the talented apprentice reassured his boss,gently patting the man's giant belly while he spoke.

"Right..." Arnoldo mumbled,looking away,still not feeling too confident.

"Besides you look as handsome and stunning as always,Arnoldo.Or even more,if I'm honest." Francis went on,kissing the older's round cheek in the process,intent on accomplishing his most important job of all.

Making Arnoldo happy.

"You mean it?" the brunet chef asked with slight hesitation,daring to glance back at his ever loyal assistant,who grinned brightly back at the man,still against his boss' face.

"I do,more than anything,señor." Francis said confidently,nuzzling his face against the experienced chef's double chin,Arnoldo smirked,hands massaging the boy's thick arm roughly,the aspiring magician's grin growing even wider.

It felt good to come back home.

"Francis." said the Grand Chef,looking up at the ceiling,while his assistant grazed his teeth around one of the man's nipples.

"What is it,Arnoldo?" replied Francis eagerly,promptly stopping his ministrations and looking up at his mentor with expectant eyes.

Ready to do whatever the older man needs him to.

"Thank you for staying." 

"I'll stay as long as you need me to."

_And if you were to ask me_  
_After all that we've been through_  
_Still believe in magic?_  
  
_Oh yes I do_  
** _Of course I do_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew,this was hard.  
Finally being able to accept how I look comes hand in hand with Francis adoring the way Arnoldo looks.  
Everything in the universe is connected.


	3. You are lying to yourself (The Bet)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Francis and Harmony are a Good Team™ that deserved some closure so...

"Harmony,put that down!!! You don't really have to do this,it's my job! Arnoldo-" exclaimed Francis in an anxious frenzy upon entering back into the kitchen,fixing his hair and flattened clothes quickly to find the young azafata washing the many dishes he left behind earlier today to tend to his Boss.

"Tranquilo,Francis! Look,I'm almost done! I came here looking for you and noticed you were busy with Arnoldo,so I decided the best way to help was to start on your chores right away." Harmony said easily,smiling brightly to herself,focused on her work and not really looking at the (now) completely embarassed,fidgety waiter beside her just yet.

The peaceful girl with caramel eyes took a glance at her best friend only to smirk at him,nudging his broad shoulder,Francis jumped in place and tugged his vest down.

He is adorable.

"Calm down,I didn't see anything,Francis! You guys were obviously asleep! I mean,you both snore! If there was something else going on,I would have seen it..." Harmony gave the skilled teen a sly wink,unable to keep the lighthearted laugh out of her words and the bright spark to her eyes as she put aside the last set of washed plates.

"Yeah,asleep,we fell asleep,yeah,it's all that happened." Francis mumbled in a rush,quick to get a towel (not his own) to start drying the dishes and distract himself from all this embarassment.

It wasn't necessary,really.

He doesn't remember seeing Harmony there,the aspiring magician had not even realized he fell asleep on Arnoldo's arms until he woke up hours later.

_And_ had started running desperately to the kitchen to start on his chores of the day.

It's nearly 5:30,Arnoldo won't wake up any soon to make dinner,he needs this sleep,even if it would have been much better for the brunet chef if Francis could have gotten him to bed.

No,not that dumb blush again.The loyal assistant still feels like his skin is burning despite having no fever.

Hopefully the prideful Chef won't mind too much if his young apprentice prepares dinner for the crew just this one time.

"Francis,it's okay...." the purple clad girl spoke lowly,putting a tentative,delicate hand on the curly-haired teen's thick shoulder.

"Why.... were you looking for me?" Francis swallowed dry,glancing briefly at his helpful friend,while voicing the question and going back to his task,trying to change the subject as soon as possible.

"I wanted to apologize to you,you trusted me enough to confess those things to me and the moment we disagree,I throw them back against you,it was just not nice of me.I'm sorry." Harmony said with absolute sincerity to her tone,Francis looked back at his best friend to realize her resentful expression genuinely matched her words.

"It's okay,Harmony,you don't like us together,I should have never expected you to." Francis shrugged,hunching in on himself a little further,olive eyes focused back on his work,not really able to control the solemn tone his voice took.

Harmony sighed deeply,puffing out her cheeks,holding her own hands together,she wonders if Francis realizes when he does it.

If he realizes when he starts acting just _like him._

"I....heard about.... Rulo Rolando,I'm really sorry about what happened,Francis,but Ricardo also told me you knocked him out pretty good! I'm really proud of you!" she gave a soft,encouraging punch to the older teen's shoulder,Francis curled in on himself even more and offered her a shy,little,gap-toothed grin.

"Gracias,Harmony,but that was nothing,really,I did what I had to do,I hope you understand." Francis stated,taking on a slightly casual,bragging tone.

Francis had given himself enough time to think about that extremely unfortunate incident from hours ago,at the exact moment he did it,he felt really guilty about it.

But now he has come to the conclusion it was the right thing to do,he's feeling pretty great about it too.

Francis is tired of being played around with.

He already has someone to do that to him.

"Still you could have said 'Ayuda',I could have helped you,I'm usually against violence but honestly? My reaction would have been very similar." Harmony affirmed confidently,grinning toothily and patting her friend's broad arm.

She is too certain Rulo Rolando's own twin will eventually try some nasty moves on her.

Carlos made sure to tell her some time ago that the orange clad bassist already had tried to kiss and touch her in her sleep.

When he unavoidably goes too far,she will be ready.

"I didn't want to bother you...this was very personal and I was hoping I could handle it on my own." said Francis,expertly finishing drying the last dishes and setting them in their rightful places.

Harmony grinned proudly to herself while she followed the skilled waiter around the small kitchen,helping him whenever he allowed her to.

She is well aware of the 'pretty' guitarist and Francis' history,she even rooted for them to work things out and get back together at some point.

Harmony is not really all that pleased to admit that,right now,after this very odd turn of events.

Francis is actually safer with _Arnoldo_.

"And you did! You deserve to be with someone who makes you happy,Francis." Harmony said with conviction,small hands on both his big shoulders once he fixed his vest and turned to face her,the aspiring magician adorned an adorably bewildered expression on his charming features.

"Arnoldo makes me happy." he said with finality,olive green eyes boring dark and intense on the azafata's brighter,hopeful gaze,she frowned.

"Francis,you can't possibly believe that." she shook her head and his shoulders in the process.

Rolando is not the one for him,Arnoldo shouldn't be either.

If the hot-tempered Grand Chef is your '_better_' option,you're better off alone.

Maybe Francis should consider being single for a while.

"Today I was the happiest I've ever been in a long time,Harmony." Francis declared dead serious,stiffly pushing her hands away from him and searching around the room for something else to do.

How about starting that dinner? 

"Francis,you are lying to yourself." Harmony insisted one last time,she knew she was pushing it yet she couldn't help herself.

She swears all she wants to do is to help him.

All he needs to do is allow her to.

"Harmony,you're done here,I'll take it from here,besides you shouldn't be in the kitchen,please leave." Francis said sternly,on his way to 'gently' push her out the doors.

"Okay,okay,I'm sorry,look,Francis,I'm sorry." ultimately the purple clad,helpful teen gave up for the moment upon seeing the talented waiter's stern,slightly irritated expression.

It was really cute but not to be messed with.

"Stop apologizing so much,Harmony,you're starting to look like me....I _can_ admit to you... you have a point." Francis sighed wearily in defeat,fixing his vest and tugging at his yellow towel,looking in the fridge the ingredients he'd need for a decent Pasta a la Arnoldo (by Francis).

"You're right to be wary of Arnoldo,he has not always been the best person to be in a relationship with." the curly-haired teen admitted,albeit in a low voice and looking around the both of them to see if anyone else could hear.

"Understatement of the Year *cough*" Harmony made a show of coughing and cleaning her throat while the older of the two quietly shushed her.

"_BUT_ you need to understand that he changed....ever since..." Francis trailed off,head moving in the direction of the place beside the counter where he 'disappeared' from the week prior.

Wow,that was _only_ a week ago.

The day Francis heard his Arnoldo yelling 'Mi Francis' all over the monorail in search of his waiter.

His assistant _and_ his everything else.

The hardworking teen's heart did somersaults,desperate to let his Chef know he was safe,despite his own brief panic of not knowing where he was.

"....That day with the Russian Crew and their teleporter device?" Harmony knew the answer,she was there through the whole ordeal.

It wasn't that long since Arnoldo '_changed_',he still had plenty of time to go back to his usual toxic,manipulative ways.

By then it will be too late and all Harmony will be able to do is console the talented waiter and say 'I told you so' while offering him a slim shoulder to cry on.

Like all the other times since the young azafata got here.

"Sí." Francis said promptly while preparing the dough for his pasta.

"I was suspecting of that,now riddle me this,Francis: Do you think this new behavior of Arnoldo's is here to stay or it will only last until his shock upon thinking he lost you forever is over?" Harmony queried,tying a 'Mire en mi cara' apron around her waist.

Ready for whatever new task is thrown her way.

At least until Arnoldo gets here.

Francis stopped mixing the ingredients,thoughtful for a moment.

Surprisingly,he has not thought of that.

He _did_ expect his Boss to go back to 'normal' after a few days.

It did not happen.

Harmony had an incredulous expression on her pretty features.

"See,you don't know!!!! You _literally_ don't know!!!!" Harmony exclaimed in exasperation,Francis can't possibly think this is going to last.

The young apprentice inhaled sharply,she is not going to give this up and she _does_ have the right to be concerned,the aspiring magician's eyes shined bright with an idea,he smirked at his best friend.

"Harmony,tell you what,let's do...a simple bet,if Arnoldo's still good to me for the next month,you will have to do most of my chores for a week,if it turns out,his behavior doesn't last,I will have to do your job and find solutions to the other's problems for a week." the curly-haired teen suggested,voice light and challenging,thick eyebrows raised,Harmony thought this over.

It would be a lot of work to do if she lost.... 

"..... Deal." she said finally,extending her hand to seal the deal,he was hesitant to offer his own dirtied hand,covered in flour in return.

Yet ultimately they shook hands and exchanged bright grins,going back to their task at hand.

"Francis?" Harmony asked after a few moments of comfortable silence.

"I genuinely hope you win." said the peaceful teen with determination to her voice,Francis dipped his head,looking away for a moment.

Especifically in the direction of the food storage where his Grand Chef snored away.

"Me too." 


End file.
